Kansas

Kansas AgrAbility (KAP) co-sponsored a workshop on "mounting" solutions for people with disabilities, given by Mary Kay Walch, COTA and national presenter on the subject. Many AgrAbility customers have a need to stabilize an item they are using or working on, so a wheelchair or table mount is an essential solution. KAP staff recognized that the training would benefit AT AgrAbility specialists and would also be useful as a vehicle for introducing services to other rehabilitation professionals. The workshop was offered with 2.5 CEUs for physical and occupational therapists. E-fliers, list-serve postings, and personal invitations were extended to staff at the Dole Veterans Administration Hospitals, Kansas City hospitals, rural rehabilitation centers, and local school districts, to increase awareness for educators serving transition-age youth. Due to co-sponsorship with Assistive Technology for Kansans, one of KAP's partners, the workshop was offered free of charge. Thirty-four PTs, OTs, and ATPs attended the training. KAP staff provided AgrAbility materials and conducted a brief presentation of KAP services during the workshop.

KAP staff participated in durable medical equipment (DME) donation drives conducted across the state during November and December 2018. Lightly used DME was accepted and refurbished by qualified DME providers through funds provided by Kansas Medicaid. The drives resulted in receiving over $60,000 of equipment, including heavy-duty scooters, lightweight wheelchairs, patient lifts, and other personal use items. The refurbished devices will be given away at no cost to KAP customers. A tilt-in space manual wheelchair was given to a transition age student living on a family farm in northeast Kansas, and a patient lift is being delivered to help a wife transfer her husband from his wheelchair to other positions. KAP staff are searching their database to identify other equipment matches. The devices are useful as back-up or replacement devices and increase access to a wider range of equipment in addition to leveraging support from public and private resources.

Submitted by Tawnie Larson